Thursday, August 23, 2012

Cauliflower-Crust Pizza


Yes, you heard that correctly... I said cauliflower pizza crust... as in a pizza crust made from cauliflower (and a couple other things)!  AND, it actually tastes pretty darn good!  I got Karl to eat it and he hates veggies in most forms!!  So, if you're looking for a gluten-free/low-carb pizza option that is relatively cheap, this is for you.

The first thing you're going to need is riced cauliflower... How the heck do you "rice" cauliflower, you ask?  Well, it's actually not too hard, especially if you have a food processor (which I don't...)  Anyway, for this part you'll need:

  • 1 bag of frozen cauliflower (these usually come in 16 oz packages, I believe, though this will give you way more than enough cauliflower for your pizza)
  • A food processor, or a cheese grater
  • Cheese cloth or a plain dish towel

1. Microwave your frozen cauliflower in a covered microwavable dish until cooked.  Don't add water when cooking.  Time wise you can most likely go by the package/any adjustments you need to make for your particular microwave oven.

2. When the microwave beeps, take out your bowl and carefully drain any water off your cauliflower.  Let it cool.

3. Time for the ricing!  I simply use a regular cheese grater and grate my cute little cauliflower florets... but it is a bit of a pain, and this can happen:

One of the dangers of ricing by hand... Baby attacks!
If you have a food processor you can use that to get your cauliflower to a rice like consistency.

4. If your cauliflower rice is very juicy (which it will most likely be) then I suggest putting your rice in some cheese cloth or a dish towel/piece of fabric and using that to squeeze as much of the water out as you possibly can before continuing with the crust.

Alrighty, now we're ready for the actual crust/pizza making... For this part you'll need:

  • 1 cup riced cauliflower
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup grated Italian blend cheese (I like one that has parmesan, asiago, fontina, etc.)
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 2 tsp parsely
  • Pizza Sauce
  • Mozarella cheese (or you can use the Italian blend again, which is what I like to do)
  • Pizza toppings (we will just be broiling to melt the cheese, so make sure any toppings are already cooked and safe to use!)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray.  I also like to use parchment paper.

3. In a medium bowl, combine your cauliflower, egg and Italian blend cheese. Press evenly on the pan with your fingers. It works best if you kind of spoon the mixture out over the whole pan and press it into shape from there.  Make sure that it's the same thickness in the middle as it is on the edges, this will help keep it from being sloppy and "un-crust-like".

4. When you have your crust all pressed out, sprinkle it evenly with your oregano and parsley.

5. Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes.  The first couple times I tried this my crust turned out a lot soggier than I wanted it, but cooking it for the longer time really helped!



5. Remove the crust from the oven and add your sauce, toppings, and cheese!

6. Put your assembled pizza back in the oven under the broiler until the cheese is melted.  This can happen pretty quickly, so keep a close eye on your pizza!!


And voila! Your magical cauliflower pizza is ready!  I originally got this recipe from Your Lighter Side, which is a great blog for low-carb (and incidentally gluten-free!) recipes.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we have!!

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Changes...

Just for fun...

Me, August 2011

Me, August 2012
I can't believe how quickly and dramatically things have changed!  So crazy!!  And all I can say is, I love my life ;)

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Four Years and Counting...

Today, Karl and I have been married for 4 whole years!! I suppose compared with eternity (which is the eventual goal!) 4 years is nothing, but I honestly feel as if we've already spent a lifetime together.  My brain really has a hard time remembering events in my past with out trying to insert Karl into the memory, there just couldn't have been a time before him, right? 


Anyway, to celebrate this momentous occasion, I have quantified our life together and have found some fun numbers to share!  Did you know that...

  • We have been married for 1461 days
  • We have been a couple for 5 years, 10 months, 1 week, and 5 days!
  • We have moved 5 times (though thankfully we've only lived in 2 cities!)
  • We have been to 5 different temples (Provo, Mt Timpanogos, Draper, Salt Lake, and Bountiful)
  • We've been to 10 states together: Utah, Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri!!
  • Between the two of us we have completed 245 credit hours at 2 different universities and have received 2 Associate degrees.  Also, 47 more credits, and we will have 2 Bachelor degrees!
  • We have had 1 child, increasing our family from 2 to 3!
    • While this may be only 1 item... 1 child = 9 months/3 trimesters, 3 weeks of pre-labor, 19 hours of active labor, and then 8 months of the cutest handful I have ever met ;)
I'm sure there are more numbers I could list, and I'm hoping that there will be more and more fun and interesting numbers to share as we progress towards forever, but for now I am totally and completely content with the one item I can't quantify... how much I love my hubby!  I just keep loving him more and more and more as the years pass, and I am currently the happiest I have ever been in my life!  I know this all sounds so cliche, but I guess that's what being so in love does to a person, haha!

Happy Anniversary Karl Andy Smith!  I love you more than I could ever express... even on the internet!
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